Two decades after the Rockets’ run to their first championship, we offer a look at 20 factors that made the 1993-94 season unforgettable from start to finish.

1. The loss. The end of the 1992-93 kick-started the Rockets’ roll to begin the 1993-94 season. The Rockets lost Game 7 in Seattle, lamenting not only the loss but that they had to play the game on the road. The feeling after the loss drove the Rockets through the off-season, training camp and start of the following season.

2. Rudy T. Happy as a scout and then as an assistant, Tomjanovich was named the interim coach in 1992 and made long-term head coach a month later. He quickly instilled his basketball values, emphasizing team ball and defense. He built his systems around Hakeem Olajuwon inside and became the sort of “players’ coach” his players followed.

3. The 1994 draft. The Rockets selected Sam Cassell out of Florida State with the 24th pick of the draft, though there did not seem any immediate need at his position. They were, however, drawn to his skills as a gifted scorer and learned of his talent in the clutch along the way.

4. Les is more. Leslie Alexander bought the Rockets in July, 1993 and empowered the team’s leadership to make its basketball decisions.

5. Super Mario. When Leslie Alexander said in his introductory press conference that a key addition was coming, few could have guessed Elie; fewer would have known how much Elie would mean. Rudy Tomjanovich, however, had gone out in Charlotte and watched a late-night Trail Blazers game when Elie filled in for Clyde Drexler, decided Elie was the sort of guy the Rockets needed and then got him.

6. The streak. The Rockets not only took off to start the 1993-94 season, matching the NBA record by winning the season’s first 15 games, they completed the streak with a win in Madison Square Garden in a Finals preview.

The Rockets had a trio of capable point guards in Kenny Smith, Sam Cassell and Scott Brooks.

7. The Jet set. Though a lightning rod of public debate, Smith accepted an unusual role in which he started, but did not always finish, with Scott Brooks often on the floor in the first half of the season and Sam Cassell often late in the season. Smith, however, often excelled, including late in games (such as Game 6 of the Finals.) He got the Rockets rolling in Game 7.

8. Big Shot Bob. Robert Horry earned his clutch shooting reputation over many seasons with many teams, but after the trade to the Pistons was nullified, he came back determined to be the aggressive, fearless player the Rockets wanted. He did all that while demonstrating the attitude the Rockets wanted off the floor, as well.

9. Mad Max. Vernon Maxwell began the season in mourning following the stillborn birth of his daughter. But he wrote her name on his shoes before every game and was motivated to his best all-around season of his career, excelling not only as always as a shooter that could get on an unstoppable roll at any time, but as a more effective passer and tenacious defender.

10. OT. As a powerful running mate for Hakeem Olajuwon acquired from the Kings, Otis Thorpe saved his best for last. Thorpe matched up in the playoffs against Buck Williams, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and Charles Oakley.

11. The trade. Seeking more firepower in the frontcourt, the Rockets agreed to trade Robert Horry and Matt Bullard to the Detroit Pistons for Sean Elliott. Horry and Bullard made it to a game in Auburn Hills, but the Rockets nullified the trade after giving Elliott his physical. Bullard was angry. Elliott was despondent, nearly retiring. But Horry came back determined to give the Rockets what they needed when they made the deal.

12. Choke City. The Rockets took an unwanted place among the great collapses in Houston sports history, blowing an 18-point lead in Game 1 and a 20-point lead in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Suns. The Suns took the commanding lead back to Phoenix when the outscored the Rockets 24-4 down the stretch of the fourth quarter Game 2 and then won in overtime.

13. Clutch City. On Friday the 13th, the Rockets trailed Game 3 by eight at halftime when Vernon Maxwell took off. The series and the Rockets were never the same. Maxwell scored 31 of his 34 points in the second half. The Rockets rolled in Game 4 and won the series in seven games behind Olajuwon’s dominating performance.

14. All that Jazz. The Rockets took control of the Western Conference from the start, taking a 2-0 lead on the night Hakeem Olajuwon was named MVP, returning home with a 3-1 lead after overcoming a faulty clock operator in Game 4 and then rolling to a 26-point second-half lead in the decision Game 5.

15. Big-time in the Big Apple. The Rockets took on the Knicks in The Finals, with Hakeem Olajuwon going against Patrick Ewing and owner Leslie Alexander pitting the team he had just bought against the team of his youth. The Rockets went to New York with the series even, but broke through in Game 3 with Sam Cassell scoring the Rockets’ final seven points. That 93-89 win was the top scoring game in an incredibly low-scoring series, with the Knicks taking Games 4 and 5 to send the Rockets back home down 3-2.

16. White Bronco. While the Rockets and Knicks were locked in a tight Game 5, most of the nation – even including many in Madison Square Garden – were looking far away. With NFL Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson suspected in the murder of his ex-wife and her friend, he led police on a long, slow-speed chase through Los Angeles, all televised live during the game. Televisions throughout the arena were switched to the chase, including some courtside that caught the eye of players. Fans turned to the televisions in the suites. NBA and NBC executives debated about sticking with the broadcast of the game, all while Simpson and his friend slowly made their way back to his home.

17. By a fingertip. To the Knicks, their best chance at the title might have come down to the tip of Hakeem Olajuwon’s fingers. The Rockets led by two on the Knicks’ final possession. Patrick Ewing set a screen for John Starks. Hakeem Olajuwon left Ewing, chased Starks behind the 3-point line and got a fingertip on Starks’ shot for the win, starting the Rockets happy dash to the lockerroom after the shot for the championship fell far short.

18. 2 of 18. Locked up throughout the series, Rockets guards Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell had their best game in the series’ final game. But while they found their shot, the Knicks’ John Starks lost his. Starks made just 2 of 18 shots, missing all 11 of his 3-pointers, while Knicks coach Pat Riley stuck with him until the end.

19. Dream season. Hakeem Olajuwon carried the Rockets as the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP, still the only player to take all three honors in the same season. He took the title with a win over long-time rival Patrick Ewing and the Knicks in an unforgettable seven-game series.

20. Championship-worthy celebrations. After the Rockets took the title, and the championship trophy ceremony was held at midcourt for the first time in what would become an NBA tradition, fans spilled out onto Richmond and all over town, with none of the post-championship incidents that had marred celebrations around the country. Days later, 52,000 were in the Astrodome for another party, with another 500,000 lining a 17-block parade route as the city’s first champions, riding fire trucks, road by.

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Believe it: Rockets’ 1993-94 season in review on HoustonChronicle.com

It’s been 20 years since the Rockets won the 1993-94 NBA title, the first major championship for the city of Houston. Throughout the 2013-14 NBA season and playoffs, the Chronicle brought you stories on the figures and moments from that championship season.